The current American flag was designed by a high school student named Bob Heft in 1958. He originally got a B- on the project.
Bob wasn’t thrilled. He’d put real effort into arranging 50 stars, anticipating Hawaii and Alaska might soon become states. But his teacher wasn’t convinced and knocked off points for "lack of originality."
So Bob mailed his flag design to Washington, DC.
Not long after, President Dwight D. Eisenhower chose Bob’s design from more than 1,500 entries to become the official flag of the United States.
Today’s flag, the one flying at schools, stadiums, and space missions, was designed by a teenager for a history project.
Bob didn’t stop there. He later became a teacher and even kept one of his original flags in his car trunk for impromptu show-and-tells.